The existence of a top-secret spy satellite was inadvertently revealed in Parliament this week, the Sunday Times reports.
According to the paper, secretary for defence Sam Gulube told members of Parliament that an item of fruitless and wasteful expenditure in the Department of Defence's latest annual report referred to a military satellite.
Gulube said the project, which had been revised after costs escalated due to foreign exchange movements, was now on track, the paper reports. It adds, after the disclosure, two other government spokesmen tried to cover it back up.
The Sunday Times quotes Brian Dube, of the Department of State Security, as having neither confirmed or denied the satellite, referring enquiries to the defence department, which said the matter was classified.
The paper also reported the cost of the satellite could escalate by R200 million to R1.4 billion because its launch was postponed to later this year. It notes the project was first called Project Flute, and then Project Consolidated Flute.
Earlier this year, the paper reported the satellite, Kondor-E, was ordered from a Russian company eight years ago, but there were doubts as to whether the satellite even exists. It subsequently said the defence ministry had made an about-turn on purchasing the R1.2 billion satellite, resulting in legal claims against the state.
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